


let the storm rage on

by GuardianKarenTerrier



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gift Fic, LadyNoir - Freeform, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-31 22:57:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17858603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianKarenTerrier/pseuds/GuardianKarenTerrier
Summary: He sees Ladybug lying in a pile of rubble in the middle of the room, groaning.One of the hardest things about being Chat Noir and Ladybug is that their battle instincts don't just shut off when they aren't transformed.  Adrien startles much more easily now, and Ladybug's admitted to the same, and it's not safe to surprise either of them, and that's not the only battle reaction that carries over too easily to their civilian selves.Adrien's own ingrained reactions mean that he doesn't stop to think before he's throwing himself over Ladybug, because the villain is right there, and Adrien also forgets entirely that he doesn't have any magic armour protecting him right now.  Ladybug is in danger and it's his responsibility to protect her.





	let the storm rage on

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halfahelix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfahelix/gifts).



> this is a gift fic for halfahelix, from the Left to Write Writer's Sanctuary Confidential Cupid Valentine's Exchange- ive never really written ladrien before, so i hope you enjoy it as much as i did writing it! 
> 
> beta'd by shinobicyrus. thanks, cy!

Normally Adrien wouldn't have any trouble finding a safe spot to transform.  The school's all but given up on convincing anyone to leave in an orderly manner whenever there's an akuma victim, so students and teachers are streaming out in all directions.  It shouldn't be any trouble to break away and hide somewhere for the amount of time it takes him to call on Plagg.

Which is why it's especially frustrating that when he _does_ manage to duck away from everyone else and into the locker room, it's only to find out that Plagg isn't with him. 

"Plagg?" he hisses, trying to stay quiet as he does, trying to figure out where his kwami's gotten to and _why_.  As much as they tease each other Plagg doesn't usually take off without saying anything, not after Sandboy. "Plagg, where _are_ you, there's a supervillain-"

The locker room door slams open and Adrien flinches backwards, pressing himself flat against a locker before craning his neck to look over and see what happened.

He sees Ladybug lying in a pile of rubble in the middle of the room, groaning.

One of the hardest things about being Chat Noir and Ladybug is that their battle instincts don't just shut off when they aren't transformed.  Adrien startles much more easily now, and Ladybug's admitted to the same, and it's not _safe_ to surprise either of them, and that's not the only battle reaction that carries over too easily to their civilian selves.

Adrien's own ingrained reactions mean that he doesn't stop to think before he's throwing himself over Ladybug, because the villain is _right there_ , and Adrien also forgets entirely that he doesn't have any magic armour protecting him right now.  Ladybug is in danger and it's his responsibility to protect her.

"Adrien!" Ladybug gasps, eyes wide, and he really wishes he could spare a moment to be excited that she knows his name but, firstly, everyone knows his name, and secondly, he's abruptly much colder than he's ever been in his _life_.

He should probably have figured out what this akuma's abilities are before jumping into the fight.

"We need to get you out of here," Ladybug says worriedly, biting her lip and looking up at him with worry in her eyes, and Adrien thinks the way his face heats up until it feels like it's on fire at the concern in her expression is probably fighting off the hypothermia all by itself. 

Hypothermia.  Right.  What _was_ this akuma about, anyway?

Adrien tries to tell Ladybug to worry about the fight instead of about him, but his teeth are chattering too hard to get anything out. 

"It'll be okay," Ladybug assures him, flipping them both over and hauling him into a bridal carry with an obvious lack of effort.  That's more attractive than it probably should be. The akuma's still behind them somewhere, but he seems to have lost interest for now. "You'll be fine, but we can't stay here."

"W-what ab-bout everyone else," Adrien manages, finding himself shivering harder with each word.  He doesn't think that he's imagining the way her arms tighten around him with each shudder.  "I-is the a-ku-ma after someone?"

Ladybug's expression darkens for a moment, but then she sighs.  "He's after Chloe Bourgeois.  Again."

"Ch-Chloe's not even i-in the, the _city_ ," Adrien says, momentarily stunned. " _How_ -"

"Some kind of video call, bragging about the wonderful weather where she is." Ladybug sounds glum. 

The weather in Paris has been unusually bad for weeks now and the cold and rain has been dampening everyone's spirits.  There's been an upswing in weather-related akuma to match, as well, which no one except presumably Hawkmoth has been enjoying.

Chloe's not the only one who's been bothered by it, or even the only one to have left for literally greener pastures until the weather starts to clear, but she _is_ the only one sending back messages from Corsica bragging about how much she's enjoying herself.  She'd even managed to post one on the Ladyblog under the guise of actual information on akumas before Alya caught it and deleted it.  Considering how carefully Alya usually curates her blog, that's honestly impressive. 

"So the akuma is- what, tr-trying to make sure everyone _else_ is fr-freezing?" Adrien says.  His teeth are chattering again and he's starting to shiver harder. 

He almost forgets, for a moment, that he's not transformed, that Ladybug doesn't know it's Chat Noir she's carrying out of the fight. 

Ladybug's carrying him to safety.  The warmth he feels at that is nearly enough to fight off the cold chill that wraps him.

"Some people have heat stroke instead," Ladybug says.  "So I'm really not sure anymore.  But we definitely need to get you warmer."

Some part of Adrien's mind, which sounds _distressingly_ like Plagg, immediately, enthusiastically, and in great detail suggests many, many ways they could get him warm again.  He shakes his head to try and dispel the blush he can feel rising in his cheeks, but that only presses his face against Ladybug's shoulder and that is the opposite of helpful.  "My- I'll be fine, I'm sure.  You need to defeat the akuma, don't worry about me."

"Chat Noir should be here any time," Ladybug says, with a confidence that thrills him even as it makes him wince.  "He'll be able to distract FreezorBurn while we make sure you're okay."

"Freez...orBurn," Adrien repeats, slowly, stifling a snicker.

Ladybug sounds long-suffering as she says, "Hawkmoth likes puns a little too much, too."

Adrien hasn't been paying enough attention to where they're going.  Ladybug lands lightly on a rooftop that Adrien _recognises_ , bending her knees enough that the impact doesn't jostle him even a little bit. 

They don't actually know whose rooftop this is, but he and Ladybug have used it as a meeting place more than once, and he's always suspected that Ladybug spends more time here on her own sometimes.  He knows that _he_ does.  (He's always held on to a little bit of hope that he and Ladybug could run into each other here one night when they've both come, but so far it hasn't happened).

The main reason they like this roof in particular is the greenhouse up here that's always left unlocked, and that's what Ladybug heads for right away.  She has to maneuver awkwardly to get the door open without setting him down. 

"I can walk," Adrien says, into her shoulder, even though he doesn't particularly _want_ her to let go of him.

But he's going to need her to, and soon.  She's counting on him to fight alongside her.

"I know you can," Ladybug says, but she still doesn't move to set him down.  Instead she shuts the door behind them both and heads over for the garden furniture tucked away in one corner of the greenhouse. 

Adrien _does_ feel much warmer already, but he's not sure how much of that is due to the warm air and how much is due to Ladybug's insistence on carrying him.  

She finds a lounger and does finally set him down, gently, _so_ gently, and he has to stop himself from clinging tighter for a moment. Her hand lingers on his as she says,  "Wait here, I know there's a blanket in here somewhere." 

He's glad she's not looking at his face at that exact moment, because as much practice as he has controlling his expressions he's sure his sudden shock shows through. 

There _is_ a blanket and pillow hidden in here but he didn't think she knew about it.  Those are Chat Noir's.  Once was more than enough times to see Plagg half-frozen because Adrien couldn't stand to stay home at night, so Adrien's slept here a few times now. 

But he didn't think that Ladybug _knew_ about that. 

She might not.  It isn't _his_ blanket she brings back. 

"Um," Adrien says, staring at the black-and-green blanket she hands him in bemusement before hastily wrapping it around himself at her worried look.  "Thanks.  How did you know this was here?"

"I, uh, left it here."  Now Ladybug is flushing, too.  "Sometimes I'm too wound up to sleep so I come here instead.  I've fallen asleep here enough times that I started leaving this here."

Maybe it's just the colour scheme, but it's patterned with green paw prints along one edge too so he feels secure in thinking that it _is_ a Chat Noir blanket. It's not one of the commercial ones, either.  It looks handmade. 

Ladybug has a blanket here too, and it's patterned after _him_.

Adrien's suddenly profoundly grateful to both the recent spate of bad weather and the current akuma.  He never would have known this. 

"I'm sorry I can't do more," Ladybug says, apologetically, even as she reaches over to wrap the blanket (it's much softer than his) around him almost absently.

"You've done a lot, Ladybug, thank you." Adrien feels his hand clutch convulsively on the edge of the blanket and hopes she doesn't notice.  "You really didn't have to."

"I needed to know that you were safe." Ladybug's words are very soft, spoken almost more to herself than to him.  He's not even sure that he was meant to _hear_ that- he knows his hearing has improved since he's had his Miraculous, but it's difficult to gauge how much. 

He _is_ sure he's not meant to hear it when she adds, even more quietly, "I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

 _You'd save me_ , Adrien thinks, but he bites it back before he can say it out loud.  She didn't say that for him to hear, and he doesn't have a good excuse for his sharp hearing. 

Instead he says, "The akuma- are you sure Chat Noir can handle him all right without you?"

"Positive," Ladybug says without missing a beat, and unless he's imagining it there's a fond look on her face as she says it.  "I trust Chat Noir.  I know he has my back, and he knows what he's doing."

 _No, he absolutely does not_.  He can't say that either.

Ladybug's expressions softens.  "We do fight better together, though.  I need to go and help.  Will you promise to stay here? I'll come and check on you after the fight." She flushes.  "That- that is, if you want me to!"

"I do!" Adrien says immediately, feeling his own flush darken.  "I mean, you don't _have_ to, I know you'll be- I know you have more important things to do than-" He stops.  He can feel himself starting to ramble. 

"There isn't anything more important."  This time Ladybug is so quiet that he almost _doesn't_ hear her.

Adrien is going to treasure this afternoon for a long, long time.  He might even thank Plagg for this.

Ladybug does leave after that, careful to shut the greenhouse door behind herself before zipping away. 

Adrien clutches the blanket tighter, realising now that he's still very, very cold.  "Plagg?  Plagg, I don't know where you are, but I _really_ hope you can hear me."

"I'm here now, kid, I tagged along with Ladybug without her noticing."  Plagg emerges from under the folding chair Adrien's curled up on, looking unusually guilty.  "Listen, I can explain-"

"Later," Adrien says quickly.  Then, at his kwami's expression, "I'm sure you had a good reason, Plagg, but we don't have time."

Plagg snickers, but he's pressing close to Adrien like the tiny warmth he gives off can combat Adrien's all-over chills.  "Because we need to be back here before your laaady-love is, you mean?"

"Yes," Adrien admits, with a heartsick sigh.  "She'll be disappointed if I'm gone, Plagg.  I don't want to disappoint her."

"You are such a sap," Plagg groans, even as he dives into Adrien's pocket. Tiny claws press against him like pinpricks, careful not to scratch.  "Tell me you at least have my cheese?"

"Plagg," Adrien says.  "Why _wouldn't_ I?"

"Well, I thought maybe you gave it away as a courting gift.  Cheese is the quickest way to any lady's heart." Plagg flickers back into the air.

"Plagg, your cheese is too disgusting to ever cut it as a _courting gift_ ," Adrien retorts, amused.  "Claws out!"

Ladybug is ducking around corners to avoid wild blasts from FreezorBurn when he makes it back to the school. It does take him longer than he'd like-  transforming didn't change how very cold he feels, or how hard he's shivering.  He'd hoped that Plagg would be able to do something about that but he's not all that surprised, not when he knows he's not immune to an akuma's powers in the suit.

And Ladybug had- she'd sounded like she had so much faith in him, back at the greenhouse.  He has to live up to that.  He _has_ to.

"Hey, kitty," Ladybug calls as soon as she sees him, latching her yo yo around a nearby lamp post and reeling herself in to land lightly beside him.  "Don't get too close to this one, or you'll end up doing an impression of a cat on a hot tin roof."

He grins at her.  "I prefurr a nice patch of sunlight to frostnip, my Lady.  Be careful- this one is snow joke."

"Careful yourself, kitty, your claws are showing," Ladybug teases, and then frowns as she looks him over.  "Chat Noir, you _did_ get hit, didn't you? You're shivering."

"I'll be fine," he assures her.  "But I wouldn't mind finishing this fight quickly so that I can find somewhere sunny to take a catnap."

Her expression goes determined, just as it had back in the greenhouse moments before she'd left to go and fight, and it sends a thrill through him that his shivering thankfully hides.  "Let's go, then, minou."

She goes to the edge of the roof then, and she rests her hand on his shoulder as he crouches beside her almost automatically.  His tail lashes and he tilts his head towards her as she says, softly, "I think the akuma's in his headband, but I'm not completely sure.  It _could_ be in his bracelet.  Do you think you can hit the jewelry while I go for the headband?"

"I can be the finest catburglar you've ever seen," Chat Noir purrs, and she laughs before they both launch themselves back into the fight. 

He's moving a little slower than usual, sluggish with the cold, but FreezorBurn isn't very fast.  The akuma relies more on long distance attacks, as far as Chat Noir can tell, so once he's inside the villain's range he thinks he's probably relatively safe. 

Probably.

Ladybug's yo-yo snatches the headband off the supervillain's head at the same time as Chat Noir scores his claws through his bracelet, knocking it clean off, and the two of them tear their trophies in half in tandem. 

No black butterfly emerges. 

Chat Noir is still much closer, so he dives into a roll at the akuma's feet and springs up in front of him, scanning frantically the whole time.  The man doesn't have any other very noticeable accessories, so-

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug shouts, and he turns to answer her-

And stumbles as another beam from the akuma hits him in the side.

Seconds later he's being yanked out of range, familiar yo-yo string tangled around his torso, but the damage is already done. 

"Are you okay?" Ladybug asks him, running her hands over his side and taking in a sharp breath.  "Kitty, you're _freezing_."

If he thought his teeth were chattering too badly to answer her as Adrien, it's nothing to right now.  He can't _stop_ shivering, he tries to clench his teeth on a whimper and doesn't succeed.  He thought he was cold before but this is so much worse. 

"Lucky Charm," Ladybug says- whispers, actually- and he's distantly surprised at the red-spotted comforter that falls into her hands.

"Stay here," Ladybug says, firmly, tucking the blanket tightly around his shoulders and pushing him gently to sit down.  It's so reminiscent of what she'd just done for Adrien that it honestly throws him for a moment.  "Stay right here, kitty, okay? I'll be right back."

He still can't speak, so he nods instead. 

Ladybug hesitates, then darts in and hugs him tightly, leaving him stunned.  He'd be speechless even if he _could_ say anything. 

"I'm sorry that I can't stay with you," she whispers, and then she turns and goes swinging out of sight in one smooth motion. 

Chat Noir doesn't actually stay put- he can't.  He keeps the blanket wrapped tightly around himself, but he makes his way to the edge of the roof as quickly as he can, trying to keep Ladybug and FreezorBurn both in sight as much as possible. 

Ladybug is keeping her distance, swinging past whenever FreezorBurn is distracted and finding a different perch every few minutes.  Whenever she's in one place for long enough her yo-yo darts out and snatches another piece of the akuma's outfit, reeling it back in for her to snap apart.

Chat Noir's eyebrows go up.  He so badly wants to be back in the fight and back making comments, because he _really_ wants to tease Ladybug about deciding that stripping her opponent was the way to go about this.

The man is down to his undershirt, pants, and one glove in short order- and when Ladybug tears the glove the akuma flutters out.

"Really?" he hears her demand.  " _Really?_ The movie's been out for years, will you please let it go!"

Chat Noir doesn't even pretend to hide his snicker at that. 

Ladybug lands beside him a moment later, catching him laughing, but she only rolls her eyes and tosses the akuma into the air.  "Yeah, yeah, you're a bad influence, Chat Noir.  Soon we'll both be punning as civilians, too." She takes the comforter from around him, gently, but then she tugs him close to her side and wraps an arm around his shoulders.   "Miraculous Ladybug!"

"What makes you think I don't already make just as many puns as a civilian, my Lady?" he asks when he has his breath back, looking up at her from his crouch at her side.  He doesn't particularly want to move, but he's aware that they're going to have to any moment now.

"Well, your friends haven't murdered you yet," Ladybug returns, dryly.  "There's an indicator."

"How cold of you, LB." He presses one hand to his heart and the other to his head, sighing dramatically. "You wound me."

"You'll live, kitty." She pulls him to his feet, steadying him.  "Are you sure you're all right?"

He's well aware that the smile he gives her is more lovesick than flirty.  "The cold never bothered me anyway."

Ladybug laughs, relaxing. "If you're sure, kitty.  I have a promise to keep, so be careful, okay?"

"I am always careful," he says, mock offended, and his partner gives a very unladylike snort. "Hey, I could be, when we're not in the masks."

"Somehow, I doubt that. Pound it?"

"Pound it," he agrees, knocking fists with her before turning to bound off over the rooftops.

He has to adjust his route almost immediately when he realises she's heading the same way, and _why_.

He's lucky, in a way, that he never used Cataclysm.  Ladybug has to stop and recharge, and that gives him plenty of time to get back to the greenhouse and back under the blanket there. 

"Kid," Plagg says, when Adrien's detransformed and ducking under the warm covers to curl up on the chair.  "This is getting kind of sad."

"She asked me to wait here, Plagg." Adrien reaches out and Plagg drops into his cupped hands immediately, blinking at him.  As Adrien brings his kwami back in towards him, towards Plagg's usual hideaway in his pocket, he adds, "Where _were_ you, anyway?"

Plagg sniffs, but doesn't meet his eyes.  "If you must know, I was taking a catnap.  Even we kwami need our beauty sleep, after all."

"Plagg, you usually just sleep through class anyway.  It isn't like you to _leave_ to do it." Adrien cups his hands closer around his kwami, not trying to hide his concern.  "Is everything okay?"

"Everywhere's so cold and damp," Plagg finally admits grumpily.  "I dove into Nino's bag, okay?  It's warm.  And _waterproof_."

"Oh," Adrien says, a little taken aback.  "I can get a waterproof bag, you know.  Especially with the weather the way it's been.  Nathalie won't think anything's odd about that request at all." He tilts his head.  "But as long as I'm asking for a new bag anyway- is there anything else you'd want for it, Plagg?"

"Kid," Plagg makes an oddly frustrated noise.  "It's your bag, what do _you_ want?"

"For you to be comfortable?" Adrien says, confused.  "It's not like _I'm_ going to be sleeping in it."

Plagg starts to reply but his ears flick twice and he darts back into Adrien's pocket without another word.

Adrien almost asks if he's said something wrong, but then he hears what Plagg heard and looks up to see Ladybug pushing open the door to the greenhouse. 

"You waited!" she says, seeming delighted and surprised at once.

"You asked me to." Adrien sits up a little, clutching the blanket closer.  He hopes she doesn't realise that the smile he knows he has right now is likely far too similar to Chat Noir's earlier expression. "Of course I did."

She moves closer, reaching for him before seeming to think better of it and dropping her hand.  "Are you feeling better? We defeated the akuma, Miraculous Ladybug should have put everything back to rights."

"I'm okay now," Adrien says, softly, shaking his head a little to dispel the sense of deja vu.

Ladybug visibly relaxes.  "Good! Good, that's good, I'm glad."

"Thank you!" Adrien blurts, and then flushes when he realises how abruptly he said it.  "For- for saving me, that is."

"If I recall correctly, you saved me first," Ladybug says, reaching out and resting her hand on his shoulder this time.  "Thank you for that, but you should get to safety when there's an akuma attacking."

Adrien reaches up and covers her hand with his own.  "I was trying to, but you needed help."

"I have superpowers to protect me, though,"  Ladybug says.  "Adrien, you need to stay safe.  _I_ need you to stay safe."

Adrien wishes fervently that he could somehow bottle the memory of today, so that he could take it out and look at it whenever he's having a bad day. Those are a lot less frequent now, especially since Nino seems to have a preternatural ability to sense them and cheer Adrien up, but he still _has_ them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

She smiles.  "Just try not to do it again."

Adrien would jump in front of her in a heartbeat, suit or no suit.  Still, if something happens to him while he isn't transformed, he may not be able to help her when she needs him.  "I'll try."

"That's all I ask." She seems to notice that her hand is still on his shoulder and pulls it back, reddening slightly.  "Uh, is there anywhere I should drop you off? You probably- you probably need to be somewhere, right?"

"I do, but I don't particularly want to go," he admits, sighing. "It's supposed to be an outdoor photoshoot.  Obviously, we'll have to change location again, and that always puts everyone in a bad mood." He winces.  "Which... could be very bad, actually.  Maybe I should go."

"What makes you say that?" Ladybug asks softly.

Adrien shrugs and drops his eyes, toying with the blanket.  "I try to keep an eye on everyone's mood, if I can.  Sometimes all it takes is one person asking how they're doing to turn their day around."

"That's very sweet of you." Ladybug's hesitating.  She seems like she wants to sit down, but at the same time this feels like- it feels like they have a time limit, even though he's not transformed, even though her earrings have all five spots and aren't counting down at all.  It feels like stolen time.  "But it's not your responsibility, you know.  Or at least it shouldn't be."

Adrien shrugs.  "It has to be someone's, doesn't it? If it cuts down the number of people being akumatized, I think I do have a responsibility."

Ladybug sighs and then, to Adrien's internal delight, she does pull a chair closer to sit down.  She positions it alongside him, but faces it towards him so that they can easily keep talking.  "If that's a responsibility, it's on everyone, not on you alone.  You can't and _shouldn't_ be responsible for everyone else's emotional state. There are plenty of other people at the photoshoot, right?"

"Yeah," Adrien admits, blinking slowly at her.  "Yeah, there are.  I'm not the only model today, or even the main one, so there's a lot of people."  He frowns.  "That's why I was worried about not being there..."  

"Let them learn to look after each other," Ladybug says, quietly.  "You need to look after _yourself_." Her voice lilts up, turning slightly teasing.  "Not leaping into danger would be a good start."

He laughs, even as he reflects inwardly that she can't know how often she's actually told him that.  He doesn't think that's a promise he can keep as Adrien any more than he can as Chat Noir, so he only says, "I'll try, my- my best, Ladybug."

She hesitates for a long moment, but then she seems to relent and leans forward to give him a smile that makes his heart skip a beat.  Possibly more than one. "Well, then, why don't you start by taking a little bit more of a breather than you've had? Here, with me?"

Adrien's breath catches.

"If you want to!" Ladybug adds hastily.  "Only- only if you want to, of course! I wouldn't want to- I don't want to impose, you can do whatever you'd like, of course-"

"I'd love to!" Adrien says- squeaks, really. He manages to keep his voice much steadier when he says, "I would love to- to spend time with you.  Here."

He doesn't think he imagines the flush that spreads beneath Ladybug's mask at that, even as she suddenly seems to realise how close they are and sits back. Adrien wishes that she hadn't.

"You can come meet me here any time, Adrien," Ladybug says, very softly, so softly that he's not really sure that she meant to say it.

"Don't you-" Adrien fiddles with the blanket for a moment.  He's not sure he should finish his question.  It's strange, wanting to ask Ladybug about Chat Noir, and it feels far too much like lying to her for his comfort- but it's probably stranger if he _doesn't_ ask.  "Wouldn't you prefer to meet Chat Noir here?  If this is- if this place is important-"

"It is, but I don't think Chat Noir would mind," Ladybug says, smiling again.  "Actually, I think he'd really like you." She laughs, and she sounds fond in a way that sends a shiver through him. 

Ladybug notices and leans in immediately, swiftly enough that he's sure he'd have startled badly if she were anyone else. But Ladybug- they're too used to fighting at each other's side. They haven't set off each other's battle reflexes in a long time now, if they ever did at all. "Are you sure you're all right? You're not still cold?"

He almost wants to tell her that he is; he bites back a comment about huddling for warmth that he knows he'd have blurted out with his mask on.  He _still_ almost says something, but- Ladybug doesn't know it's him, and she doesn't _want_ to know it's him.  He can't say anything quite so obvious as he wants to.

Maybe someday, but certainly not yet.

"I-I'm really not cold anymore, Ladybug," Adrien assures her, but he becomes slowly aware that the way he's clutching the blanket close to himself probably isn't very convincing. It really is a well-made blanket, much nicer than his own.  He wonders where she even got it.

He's not quite over learning that Ladybug has slept here before, too.  He wonders how close they've come to running into each other.  He wonders if they're likely to run into each other another time.

They almost certainly are.  He knows that he's likely to come to the greenhouse more often than is healthy, much more often than he has been, knowing that Ladybug may already be here- knowing that out of all the blankets she could have left here she'd chosen one with _his_ colours.

(His is in her colours, but that's far less of a surprise).

Thunder rumbles, somewhere distant.

Adrien winces, even as he feels Plagg's claws for half a second before the kwami vanishes further into his shirt. "I- please, Ladybug, as much as I appreciate the offer I really should go to the photoshoot.  There's- I really do need to be there." One of the other models is terrified of thunderstorms, and he knows that she doesn't want anyone to know.  Having everyone find out via Hawkmoth is something he'd rather not see happen.

Especially since Father has proven not to consider 'there was an akuma attack' to be an acceptable reason to miss a photoshoot. Miraculously, it hasn't come up yet, but Adrien suspects 'I was akumatized at the time' won't be acceptable either.  He doesn't particularly want to find out if he's right or not.

"I really do need to get to the photoshoot," Adrien says, reluctantly.  "It's- it's important."  He sits up a little straighter and adds, "And even if it is everyone's responsibility, that still means it's mine, too."

Ladybug stands and offers him a hand up with another soft smile.  "If you're so certain, I won't stop you. Let's get you where you need to be."

He _wants_ to be here, with her, but another rumble of thunder reminds him that he can't stay. "Thank you, Ladybug."

"Don't forget," she says gently, even as she opens the door to the approaching storm and he moves to her side.  She wraps an arm around him and readies her yo-yo to swing both of them away, but not before she says, "You're always welcome here."

He doesn't forget that. 

Ladybug drops him off at the original site of the photoshoot, where there's an organised chaos as everyone scrambles to collect all they need and coordinate to get to the secondary site. Adrien finds Ilona immediately- he doesn't have anything like an umbrella to offer her, and he doubts it would help anyway, but he knows she's calmer with company and as soon as they see him several of the other models join them.

He could swear he sees Ladybug shadowing them as they switch sites.

It's very late at night by the time they finish, their schedule having been skewed by the akuma attack, and Adrien hasn't seen any red and black flashes for some time. 

He debates inwardly for some time before he reaches the roof, torn between hat he wants and what he knows is wise. Ultimately it's the fact that it's so late at night that he doubts Ladybug will be here that decides him.

His tail flicks with nerves as he eases the greenhouse door shut behind himself.

He was wrong. She _is_ here.

Ladybug is in the corner with the scattered garden furniture, sprawled out on a rickety chaise lounge, her breathing deep and slow and even, and he doesn't have the heart to wake her.

He tries not to let himself hope that she was waiting up for him, but she did tell him to come here anytime _and_ she's here now.  Maybe there's no reason not to hope that she was. 

"Claws in," he breathes, ignoring Plagg's snickers as he goes to fetch his own blanket and drape it over Ladybug.  He can't stay for long, not when he has a full schedule tomorrow as well, and he can't bear to wake her- but he can at least return the favour.

And they'll both be here more nights than this one.  He doesn't have to rush.

There will be other nights.

**Author's Note:**

> for the record, the frozen ii trailer had not dropped when i wrote that part but it's really amusing to me that it did (i was _really cold_ when i was writing this, thats all).


End file.
